US drilling rig count sinks 12 units to 1,759

The US drilling rig count fell 12 units during the week ended June 21 to reach a total of 1,759 rotary rigs working, Baker Hughes Inc. reported.

All of the losses were seen on land, with land-based drilling down 12 units from a week ago to 1,682 rigs. The offshore rig count and that for inland waters remained unchanged at 54 and 23, respectively. Of the rigs drilling offshore, 52 were in the Gulf of Mexico, unchanged from a week ago.

Rigs drilling for oil lost 8 units to reach 1,405, while those targeting gas lost 4 units to reach 349 rigs working. Five rigs were considered unclassified, unchanged from a week ago.

Rigs drilling horizontally were reported at 1,079, down 7 units from a week ago, and 86 fewer than the comparable week last year. Rigs drilling directionally lost 2 units this week to reach 242. This compared with 233 rigs working horizontally in the comparable week a year ago.

Of the major oil and gas producing states, Oklahoma was down 5 units to 178. Texas and Louisiana, at respective counts of 843 and 106, were each down 3 units. New Mexico, at 75, and California, at 37, were each down 1 rig. Six states were unchanged: North Dakota, 178; Colorado, 62; Pennsylvania, 54; Wyoming, 46; West Virginia, 22; and Arkansas, 14. Alaska was up 2 rigs to 8 units working.

Canada’s rig count gained 21 units this week to reach 197. This count includes 147 rigs drilling for oil (up 21 units from a week ago) and 50 units drilling for gas (unchanged from last week). Canada’s rig count total was down 41 units from the comparable week last year.